EO-07: Dangote, other investors to execute 19 road projects

Following federal government’s resolve to continue with massive infrastructural development across the country under Executive Order #007 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, Dangote Industries Limited; Lafarge Africa Plc; Unilever Nigeria Plc; Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc; Nigeria LNG Limited; and China Road and Bridge Corporation Nigeria Limited, will execute 19 road projects under the new Order. The19 eligible road projects, totaling 794.4km, have been prioritised in 11 states across each of the 6 geo-political zones.

These includes the construction of the following roads; Ashaka-Bajoga highway in Gombe State; Dikwa-Gambaru Ngala road in Borno State; Bama-Banki road in Borno State; Sharada road in Kano State; Nnamdi Azikiwe expresswaybypass, in Kaduna State; Birnin Gwari expressway–road in Kaduna State; Birnin Gwari–Dansadau road in Kaduna State; Makurdi-Yandev-Gboko road in Benue State and Zone Roundabout-House of Assembly road in Benue State.

Others are Obajana-Kabba road in Kogi State; Ekuku-Idoma-Obehira road in Kogi State; Adavi Eba-Ikuehi-Obeiba-Obokore road in Kogi State; Lokoja-Ganaja road in Kogi State; Ofeme community road network and bridges in Abia State; Obele-Ilaro-Papalanto-Shagamu road in Ogun State; Sokoto road in Ogun State; Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki-Ojota road in Lagos State; Bodo-Bonny road with bridges across Opobo Channel in Rivers State; and rehabilitation of Benin City–Asaba road in Edo State.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, will chair the 13-man Scheme’s Management Committee of the various road and bridge projects under the scheme. “This list of eligible road projects is not exhaustive. Indeed, we are actively soliciting for more serious proposals from interested investors, State governments and other stakeholders who may wish to take advantage of this scheme to partner with the federal government in investing in roads. Our intention is for at least one significant eligible road project to be underway in every state of the federation within the first year of the operation of this scheme.

She challenged her team to “develop and deliver innovative ways of leveraging private finance through Public Private Partnerships, to address our infrastructure deficit.” She also added that Executive Order #007 of 2019 on the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme will incentivise private sector investment in Nigerian roads across key economic corridors and industrial clusters, relieving the government of the burden of funding the initial outlays for these investments.

“In terms of process and governance, prospective road projects are to be submitted to the government via the Scheme’s Management Committee. This Management Committee, which I chair, has the Minister of Power, Works and Housing as its Deputy Chairman, and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance as its Secretary. The other members of the Management Committee are drawn from a number of relevant federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).